Former Haas team boss Günther Steiner defends the tactic of taking over as much as possible from Ferrari: He didn’t see any other chance of success when he joined
When Haas entered Formula 1 in 2016, the racing team chose an unusual route. Instead of building everything themselves, they entered into a partnership with Ferrari and took over as many parts as possible from the Scuderia. They were mockingly given the name B-Team by Ferrari and did not exactly make themselves popular with the competition.
However, the team boss at the time, Günther Steiner, defends the approach, because in his view, it was the only way to keep up in Formula 1 as a new team.
“It was the only way to gain a foothold in Formula 1,” he says in the James Allen on F1 podcast, referring to the previously failed new teams such as HRT, Caterham and Virgin, which only lasted a few years after their entry in 2010 and are no longer part of the premier class today.
“They all failed, and they were intelligent people with a good chunk of money. They weren’t idiots or stupid people, they were intelligent, good people, but it’s so difficult to start from scratch in Formula 1,” says Steiner.
“And I didn’t see how it could work if we just did the same thing again,” he says. “Because we didn’t have any more money and we’re no more intelligent than the others who tried. So why should we be more successful?”
Haas therefore looked for another way to achieve success in Formula 1. The solution was a close partnership with Ferrari, in which as many parts as possible – so-called listed parts – were sourced from the Scuderia and only the most necessary things were made in-house. This was covered by the regulations at the time.
Steiner: For me, that shows respect for others
The success was clear to see: Romain Grosjean finished sixth and fifth in the first two races and ended the season in eighth place in the championship with 29 points. This was followed a year later by even more regular top 10 finishes and 47 points, which again resulted in eighth place.
Haas’ best season came in 2018, when they scored a sensational 93 points and finished fifth – ahead of teams like McLaren. However, the Haas way in Formula 1 was not without controversy
“They closed the gates after us because they said: ‘Günther has walked in here and has an advantage because nobody has tried it before’,” says Steiner. “We hadn’t done anything illegal, we were just taking advantage of the rules.”
He emphasizes: “For me, it was always respect for other people. I looked at them and thought: these people have money, they have good employees, they are intelligent – and they have problems. So why should I think that I can do better? I have less money, and I’m not saying we were smarter. We just had to find a different way. “
Fifth place in 2018 not celebrated enough
After that, however, came the crash. Haas never came close to fifth place again. Only once in later seasons were they better than penultimate place.
“When you’re no longer fifth, you realize how good that was,” says the South Tyrolean. “When you’re fifth, you ask yourself: Why am I not fourth? And suddenly you’re ninth again and think: Wow, that was good last year. We didn’t celebrate it enough. “
Haas still sources as many parts as possible from Ferrari today, but this is no longer possible to the same extent as before. In addition, the budget limit has introduced a new business model to Formula 1.
“With the budget limit, it now works best if you do as much as possible yourself in the best way possible,” says Steiner. However, this requires the best people and the best working conditions with the best facilities – and this is currently the disadvantage of the smaller teams.
What Steiner thinks about the current successes
However, Steiner no longer has to worry about that, as his time as team principal at Haas ended before the 2024 Formula 1 season. The South Tyrolean’s contract was not renewed, and Ayao Komatsu is now taking over the reins of the racing team instead – and is doing a good job so far, as Haas is currently in seventh place in the world championship. That would be the best result since fifth place in 2018
Is Steiner happy that his former team is enjoying success after him? “I’m happy for the people there,” he says. “I know many of them and have employed some of them myself, so I’m happy for them. They’ve had difficult years, so it’s always good when they have a good result.”
Otherwise, however, he tries to be neutral in his role as a TV pundit, because otherwise it would be impossible to reconcile the two. “I have to be completely impartial,” he clarifies. “And if I’m in favor of one person, then someone else gets angry, and then I lose friends. But I don’t want to lose any friends. “
